The Christian Church Community Trust, which holds at least $47 million in net assets and operates within the Gloriavale religious community, has lost its charitable status following a lengthy campaign, according to 1News. Regulators stripped the trust of its status after finding it helped support unlawful practices within the community, while former leader Howard Temple was concurrently banned from holding charity governance roles for five years.
Charitable Status Revoked Following Unlawful Practices Findings
According to 1News, the Christian Church Community Trust lost its charitable registration yesterday after regulators determined the organization helped support unlawful practices within Gloriavale. The religious community holds at least $47 million in net assets, maintaining ownership of almost all Gloriavale’s property, school buildings, childcare centres, and shares in eight community companies, including an airline. Gloriavale’s formal submissions to regulators were ultimately unsuccessful, resulting in the Board’s decision to strip the Trust of its charitable status. Former leader Howard Temple, a convicted sex offender, faces a five-year ban from holding governance roles in other charities as part of the regulatory enforcement.
Impact on Gloriavale Assets and Tax-Free Status
Speaking to Breakfast from Hawaii, Liz Gregory of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust described the decision as a “bittersweet” outcome after years of advocacy involving multiple petitions, government visits, and hundreds of hours of leavers sharing their stories. Gregory noted that while the proceedings took more than a decade, the loss of tax-free status delivers an immediate impact. According to Gregory, the organization will have to pay tax for three years before it is legally permitted to reapply, though she added that the community has had 10 years of warning to readjust and rearrange its business affairs. Despite the findings regarding worker and child welfare issues, Gloriavale itself can continue operating as a religious community, according to 1News.
Upcoming Legal Proceedings and Future Scenarios
Looking ahead, additional legal hurdles face the community and regulators. Gregory stated on Breakfast that upcoming High Court slavery proceedings, alongside lawsuits filed by leavers against charity services and other government departments, could provide answers regarding why the review process took over a decade. Gregory noted that Gloriavale are allowed to reapply in three years’ time and they’ll bide their times through appeals and whatnot potentially. Today’s decision follows closely behind an announcement from the Ministry of Education, which recently cancelled Gloriavale’s registration as a private school and pressed on with plans to close the school.
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